The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-04-30

The shrill whistles of one of the
Havana policemen attracted the
attention of the people who were
dining in the principal hotel of Ha-
vana the other night, and half of
them followed the clerks and port
ers out on the sidewalk. Directly
in front of the hotel is a little park,
and near one of the small fountains
was a man writh{ng about and dig
ging his fingers into the ground in
his agony. He moaned constantly.
He was dying. At distance of per-
haps twenty feet from him were
four policemen, with their arms
folded, smoking cigarettes and
keeping an alert eye on all pedes-
trains, # man approached the
poor wretch who was dying there,
he was sternly warned off. The
Americans who had been dining in
the hotel started toward the man in
q body, but they were pushed and
led back by the hotel employees
amid considerable excitement.
"You mustn't 60 there" said
one of the interpreters earnestly.
"Why not?" asked a burly and
good-natured Newark physician,
moving forward again. "The mans
got cramps-probably from hunger
and little aid now would save
his life. l don't propose to stand
here and see him die"
No, no; don't 60 over there.
Listen to me. know it will be very
serious for you if you"
But the Jerseyman pushed
ahead, followed by his countrymen,
while the interpreter rushed into
the hotel after an American mer-
chant who has lived here thirty
years and who has a wide knowl-
edge of Cuban affairs. This gentle
man ran out without his hat and
called to his countrymen in such
an authoritative way that they re-
turned to the hotel again slowly.
"Stay here" he said shortly
".and keep away from all such
scenes as that while you are in Gu
ba. The Spanish laws of 300 year.
ago are still in force, which call fol
the arrest of witnesses to any
crime or tragedy"
But that man is DYING" pro
tested the Jerseyman.
Il can see that plainly enough
He is either dying of sickness or he
has been stabbed in the back by
some enemy. The coroner has
been sent for and he will probably
be here in two hours. Meanwhile
if it is a murder the police viii
have to make some arrests to salts
fy their superiors. God help thu
men they take into custody. Pris
oners here are kept in Jail months
and months-and foul jails at thai
without any preliminary examin
alton or commitment by magis
trate. and then they are tried with
out being allowed to be present a
their trials. Witnesses are no
cross-examined, and sentence is ex
ecuted before there is a chance TO
stay of proceedings. Look abou
here. You can see thousands o
people watching that poor devil!
death agonies from safe distances
See them staring from housetop:
and from behind pillars and hal
closed windows. They are no
towards, but there is not one
among them that would dare t.
risk the consequences of going t.
the aid of that unfortunate man.
One or two other old Cuban resi-
dents Joined the group, and We fin
ally went back to the dining room
The grooming and moaning of tn
man was awful. 1t all occurred il
the heart Of the city of Havana
and in a situation not unlike tina
of the Fifth Avenue hotel on Mad
inson square, New York. l jumped
into 4 hack and drove away from
the neighborhood when ! coul'
stand the thing no longer, and
afterwards learned that after TIVE
hours the man died and was subse
auently removed. He had bee
stabbed in the side. No effOr
was made to get assistance to
him by the brutal police be
yond sending for the coroner
Two men were arrested an
they are now in Jail. Every
where there is crime. The SPANS
run the city by military force, an
they make a profound failure of j
tits undoubtedly the worst govern
ed city in the world. Three mu
ders committed in two days la!
week. The papers have no mel
ton of them. It's against the o
ders ofthe government to print new